Outdoor Show Try Dive Pool

Phew! Thank god for the stand selling roast beet rolls. Because that's what kept me fuelled over an extremely busy weekend treating people to their first taste of life underwater the Outdoor Show, at the NEC in Birmingham.

Aquasport International ran the try dive pool - and it was non-stop from the moment the doors opened at 10am on Friday until they closed at 5pm on Sunday.

And 450-odd people later we were finally able to catch our collective breath.

Schools, scouts, students, families, boys, girls, mums and dads. The heated pool was packed with just about every kind of person you could think of, desperate for a go at scuba.

This was not a full-on discover scuba session, but a quick taster. So once they were in the water, we explained how to use the equipment and showed them how to breath from a regulator.

Then we got them to dip their faces in the water so they could experience for the first time what it feels like to survive beneath the surface.

When they were comfortable with that, we dropped onto the bottom so they were completely submerged and then took them for a swim - well they swam while we walked or sat in the middle with them pottering around us.

Those who could grasp the principles of buoyancy had a good play with the BCD adding and dumping air (we are scuba divers not scuba crawlers, I explained). A few swallowed a bit of water - but it was their own fault as they grinned from ear to ear.

Those who were a bit wiser saved the smiling until they were back on the surface and that's when we knew whether we had done a good job or not.

I was particularly touched by one young lad who needed a little extra guidance.

He took to it like the proverbial duck as his proud parents watched from the side. After our session he proudly clutched his certificate and came running back to the pool side saying his parents had booked him on to a course.

"I want you to teach me again," he said.

It's at moments like that you realise how special our sport is, the opportunities it opens up and how people look to us with a little bit of envy as though we are adventurers. We can sometimes forget that after a ho-hum dive.

Special mention must go to Trevor. I thought I could stay in the pool a long time but he beat me hands down. Even as the temperature dropped from about 28c to 22c over the weekend he showed real Grrrrr while by the end I was a bit more brrrrrrr!

Roman wreck discovered in Spain

Wine destined for the Roman colony in Spain has finally turned up - 2200 years later.


The cargo of amphoras - the last remains of a Roman shipwreck - were discovered outside the harbour of Cartagena during an exploration of the seabed by the Aurora Trust.




The eagle-eyed marine explorers spotted an anomaly on the sidescan sonar but it was only when they went down to investigate did they discover the amazing historic treat when they filmed thousands of amphora of wine which had been carefully packed in the hold.




Working with the National Centre for Underwater Archaeology of Spain, they have created a map of the submerged cultural heritage on the seabed outside the harbour, and have set about targeting various items of interest.

The ancient Roman ship was one such item, which the team from Aurora Trust were able to film and photograph thoroughly using the highly manoeuvrable Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV.



The wreck was discovered in late 2007 but only properly mapped on a return expedition last year, details of which have just been published.

Alien Squid filmed by Shell

"Now that's what I call a close encounter!"
Will Smith's words in that God Bless America travesty of a movie Independence Day.

And the same can be said for Shell Oil's deep sea drilling crew who captured the amazing video below of a deep sea squid that bears a striking resemblance to one of the aliens in that movie.

The video of the mythical sea creature, which has only recently come to light, was taken 18 months ago.

A drilling crew aboard the Noble Clyde Boudreaux was using a ROV to recover the drill string for a well in 7,828 feet of water in Alaminos Canyon, in the Gulf of Mexico when the bizarre creature came into view.

Squid researcher Dr. Michael Vecchione said the film was important because the family of squid was only discovered in 2001.There have been other sightings at similar depths in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans.

He said: “Every time we get a video observation like this one, it adds another piece to the puzzle.”



Meanwhile, in a second bit of footage from Shell, a sleeper shark was filmed in the Perdido area of the western Gulf of Mexico by an ROV inspecting subsea equipment drilling gear.

The footage shows the shark as it slowly swims near the wellhead approximately 33 feet above the sea floor. The shark then ascends approximately seven feet before leveling off and slowly swimming away from the wellhead and out of sight.



The 24 seconds of video is now considered a record-breaking discovery for marine science as it was the deepest record ever for a Greenland sleeper shark (the well is 8,700ft beneath the waves) and the first report of a sleeper shark within the Gulf of Mexico.

A technical paper detailing the finding has been accepted for publication in The Bulletin of Marine Science.

Name That Shrimp

What a little cutie! And you could name it.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society is offering some lucky (and rich) person chance to name this deep sea species that is completely new to science.

PhD student Anna McCallum, who discovered the shrimp, has generously chosen to auction the naming rights of the shrimp and dedicate all profits from the auction towards marine conservation.

The ebay auction began at 9am (Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time) Sunday 22nd March 2009 and will end at 9am (AEDST) on Tuesday 31st March 2009.
This shrimp was found 400m down in the deep waters of South-west Australia.

Morphing from yellow to green, this spectacular shrimp is covered in scarlet spots and sports a toothed crest across the top of its body, which gives it the delightful appearance of having a mohawk.

At the time of blogging 29 people had tried to get in on the act and the bid stood at AU $1,775.

For full details of the auction log on the AMCS or and check out ebay.

Ancient Fish Trap

An interesting and historic dive site has been found off the coast of Wales after it was spotted on Google Earth.

Experts reckon the 260m man-made V-shaped ancient fish trap near the River Teifi at Poppit in Pembrokeshire could be more than 1,000 years old.



The structure is entirely underwater but it is thought it was used when sea levels were lower to catch fish, such as salmon and sea trout, which would be trapped when the tide went out.

Dr Ziggy Otto, lecturer in coastal zone and marine environment research unit at Pembrokeshire College, and Jennifer Jones, a scientific diver have already dived the site.
Ms Jones said the rocks were now covered in worms, algae and sea anemones and acted as a naturally functioning reef.

Freediving video - Project Ocean Quest

For all of us who love scuba and it's ability to take us on adventures in alien environments there are some that can go there without the cumbersome equipment.

And it seems that those super-lunged people have taken documentary-making to a new level by getting close to marine life without disturbing it.



Freediver Frederic Buyle's noiseless, bubble-free and calm method of diving is allowing him to approach even shy animals and be tolerated by them in their immediate vicinity.

His freediving abilities are remarkable: not only does he descend to depths exceeding 50 metres, he also manages to stay there for up to 4 minutes on a single breath.

So he has teamed up with renowned underwater cameraman Christian Petron for the five-part action-packed visually stunning adventure/wildlife series Project Ocean Quest.

And if the trailer is anything to go by it's going to be a cracker.



The five episodes are Tamataroa - Hammerheads of Polynesia, The Whales of Rurutu, Fragile Mediterranean, The Great White - Ultimate Hunter, 24 Hours at Fakarava.



The website promises the show will be ready in the Autumn. Production company ZDF (go there for the longer trailer) is now touting it around, let's hope the BBC goes for it and gives it a primetime slot. If Monty Halls' Beachcomber Cottage and the Oceans series can get one there's no reason why this shouldn't.

The Maldives goes Carbon Neutral

Divers’ paradise the Maldives is setting the rest of the world a climate change challenge with plans to become carbon neutral in a decade.
The low-lying country knows more than most about the dangers of rising sea levels with none of its coral fringed islands more than 1.8 metres above sea level
President Mohamed Nasheed told the BBC the Maldives of a plan to switch completely to renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.
“We understand more than perhaps anyone what would happen to us if we didn’t do anything about it or if the rest of the world doesn’t find the imagination to confront this problem,” Mr Nasheed said.
“We don’t want to sit around and blame others, but we want to do whatever we can, and hopefully, if we can become carbon-neutral, and when we come up with the plan, we hope that these plans also will serve as a blueprint for other nations to follow."

Filming Underwater News

As part of his reporting into the fears of increasing ocean acidification (see The Changing Seas) and its effect on the future of marine life, the BBCs Roger Harrabin has filed a series of special reports on the issue from the Red Sea.

Much of the filming for was done underwater. The BBCs website is worth a look for a five minute feature from cameraman Tony Fallshaw as he explains the specialist equipment and techniques used to record underwater footage.


Cameraman Tony Fallshaw reveals the secrets of filming underwater

The short is interesting, particularly in terms of how they overcome the problems of recording sound and pieces to camera from the journalist themselves. Also, look out for the famous face looking after the divers.

A Divemaster's Life

To some we are the dogs' bodies, to others the unsung heroes. Just so you can spare a much bigger thought for us in future, here's a quick day-in-the-life of this PADI DMs work on an open water course last week that kept me from blogging.

Weekend One
Saturday - Make the brews. Size up and sort out six lots of pool kit for our new OW students. Organise necessary paperwork for the confined water dives. Make some more brews. Get the pool ready. Fill in the necessary paperwork (air and time in). Observe them put their kit together and offer pointers. Help get the students ready for the confined water session, get them into their scuba unit and properly weighted. Get ourselves kitted up and in the water. Get underwater and pay careful attention to them. Check their air regularly so instructors can focus on teaching. Position ourselves correctly so we are on hand to deal with any issues or anxieties. Act as dummy when needed as instructors talk through certain skills (giant stride entries etc). Stay U/W when they are doing weightbelt removal to ensure nothing drops and cracks a pool tile. Once confined dives finished, get them out, complete paperwork. Wash kit down and put it away for the next day. Miss out on a brew. Clean and tiny the pool area, and lock up. Help them with any kit purchases. Miss out on the chocolate. De-brief. Bid them farewell. Go home, pizza and sleep.



Sunday - Make the brews. Sort out six lots of pool kit for our new OW students and make any necessary changes. Organise necessary paperwork for the confined water dives. Make some more brews. Get the pool ready. Fill in the necessary paperwork (air and time in). Observe them put their kit together. Help get the students ready for the confined water session. Get ourselves kitted up and in the water. Get underwater and pay careful attention to them. Check their air regularly so instructors can focus on teaching. Position ourselves correctly so we are on hand to deal with any issues or anxieties. Act as demonstration dummy when needed by instructors. Once confined dives finished, get them out, complete paperwork. Wash kit down and put it away. Miss out on a brew. Clean and tiny the pool area, and lock up. Miss out on the chocolate. De-brief. Bid them farewell. Go home, KFC and sleep.

Midweek - dry suit orientation
Wednesday/Friday night - Make the brews. Sort out six lots of open water kit for our OW students. Sort out drysuits. Help them to don and doff drysuits. Organise necessary paperwork for the confined dry suit orientation dive. Get the pool ready. Fill in the necessary paperwork (air and time in). Observe them put their kit together. Help get the students ready for session. Get ourselves kitted up and in the water. Get underwater and pay careful attention to them. Check their air regularly so instructors can focus on teaching. Position ourselves correctly so we are on hand to deal with any issues or anxieties as they get used to diving in a drysuit. Act as demonstration dummy when needed by instructors. Once confined dives finished, get them out, complete paperwork. Wash kit down. Issue it to them Miss out on a brew. Clean and tiny the pool area, and lock up. make sure they have all the kit and directions. De-brief. Bid them farewell. Go home, pizza and sleep.

Weekend Two
Saturday - Meet them bright and early at Dosthill in Tamworth. Make sure they sign in and have all their kit together. Give them a site brief (rules and regs on surface what to see underwater). Get paperwork started while instructors do their course brief. Observe them get their kit together. Have a chat, make it fun (even though they face 5C of water). Get them kitted up, help them through their buddy checks. Get kitted up. Help them into fins, masks, hoods, gloves and into water. Be on hand with extra weights for weight check. Get in the water with them. Closely watch over them in water. Accompany them on the first swim or be with them while skills are being done. Repeat a number of times sorting out any problems along the way. Complete paperwork. Help them to pack away. Gather in pub for a coke (no drinking and diving). De-brief. Bid them farewell. Go home, Maccie Ds and sleep.
Sunday - Meet them bright and early at Dosthill in Tamworth. Make sure they sign in and have all their kit together. Get paperwork started while instructors do their course brief. Observe them get their kit together. Have a chat, make it fun (even though they face 5C of water). Get them kitted up, help them through their buddy checks. Get kitted up. Help them into fins, masks, hoods, gloves and into water. Get in the water with them. Closely watch over them in water. Accompany them on the swim or be with them while skills are being done. Repeat a number of times. Complete paperwork. Help them to pack away. Meet back at the centre. Check all the kit in, ensuring it is washed down. Miss out on the brew. Get cylinders in for fills. Congratulate them on passing. De-brief. Go home, Maccie Ds and sleep.

Hell, I've even surprised myself with that amount of work. Why do we do it you might ask? Well we love diving, We're helping to teach with our friends and despite the huge amount of work, we actually have a great time. There's also the eternal gratitude of the Aquasport International bosses. But the thing that makes the weekend most worthwhile is the look on the students faces when they get their OW patch after completing the last skill and the smiles on their faces when they get a round of applause at the end of the course. helping people, who might be scared to even go under the water on day one, get to the end of the course as divers is a thrill in itself. Congrats to the six who passed last weekend. I look forward to seeing you diving.

Ocean acidification and the fate of marine life

A few bite-sized chunks of news today that showing the changing nature of the seas we love to dive.

Carbon dioxide from the burning of fossils fuels activities are acidifying the oceans and threaten a mass extinction of sea life, a conference of ocean scientists has heard.
Researchers estimated that since the Industrial Revolution, CO2 emissions belching into the atmosphere and then absorbed into the ocean have already turned the sea about 30 per cent more acidic.
The chemical change is placing "unprecedented" pressure on marine life which make calcified shells, and life such as mussels, starfish, oysters shellfish and lobsters, and could cause widespread extinctions, experts fear.
Seawater is mildly alkaline with a "natural" pH of about 8.2 but the Copenhagen Climate Change Congress conference heard the acidity pH rate of the seas has increased by 0.1
Dr Carol Turley from Plymouth Marine Laboratory told the BBC: "I believe we may be heading for a mass extinction, as the rate of change in the oceans hasn't been seen since the dinosaurs."
Scientists studying the seas around the the island of Ischia, in the Bay of Naples, Italy, (check out the video on the BBC) believe it is an example of what the future may hold.
The water there has increased levels of CO2 because of volcanic vents on the seabed
Dr Jason Hall-Spencer from Plymouth University said: "The changes here have clearly made life impossible for shell-forming creatures."

On the other side of the world, scientists have identified seven new species of bamboo coral discovered on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-funded mission in the deep waters off Honolulu.
Six of these species may represent entirely new classification of organisms and scientists expect to identify more new species as analysis of samples continues
“These discoveries are important, because deep-sea corals support diverse seafloor ecosystems and also because these corals may be among the first marine organisms to be affected by ocean acidification,” said Richard Spinrad.

Scuba Diving The Cenotes

Approaching the water filled opening in the rock face, you couldn't help be filled with a little trepidation - afterall diving underground for the first time was a little daunting.

But for the more adventurous divers, the natural wonders of the Mexican Cenotes offer a tantalising glimpse into the hidden underwater world beneath the earth.



Hidden away among the rain forest, the honeycomb of fresh-water caves that zig-zag beneath the Yucatan peninsula were a sacred place for the Mayan people - and the magical, enigmatic and unique systems have become a mecca for cave diving enthusiasts.

In this day and age with most of the world's dive sites having been mapped, explored and photographed, it's hard to find somewhere totally unspoilt. But driving to the site of Chac Mool along a dusty track an hour earlier, it felt like being a dive pioneer.

Quick bit of history - thousands of years ago, the Yucatan peninsula was originally under the ocean. At some point it is believed the sea dropped as much as 100m and the limestone foundation of fossilized coral beds and ocean floor was open to the air. Over time rainwater seeped through the porous rock to form subterranean channels and water filled sinkholes, or Cenotes. As there are no above rivers in this area, all of the ground water sinks through the porous limestone and travels to the sea in underground rivers, gorging through the rock to create magnificent underground caves.

Dropping into the crystal clear turquoise-tinged waters following our guide Julian felt like floating in space. The only visible sign that you were underwater were the bubbles trickling from your regs. The light streaming in from the sinkhole above reflected a brilliant blue and green of the foliage above.

After dancing around the edge of the cavern for a few minutes, we pushed deeper inside the cavern until there was just three metres between the ceiling and the floor. The light from our torches cut through the darkness to reveal the beautiful decorations of fossils, and stalactites and stalagmites that had formed from the mineral deposits slowly trickling there way from above.

As we neared the mouth of the cave, for which we would not penetrate, we were treated to the amazing halocline experience. This is where fresh water and heavier salt water meet. Mixing the two created a bizarre shimmering effect that felt live my mask had been switched for one with frosted glass.

Pushing on, we emerged through back into the daylight zone and towards another cavern with an air pocket. It felt strange ascending into the darkness but we were treated to a awe-inspiring site, a cathedral like dome filled with amazing constellations of rock formations hinting at the amazing formation of the planet as we know it. Roots from the trees on the surface above had forced their way through the rock to sip at the fresh water below.

All too soon, our dives here were over, but the experiences of being underground and the majestic sites will stay with us forever. This is surely one of the most memorable dives in my log book.

video extract of our dive by Robert Moesl Underwater Productions

Best Time to Go - This part of the world is in ‘hurricane alley’ so it is best to avoid later summer when they are prone to strike. We went at the beginning of May and the weather was great.

Best Dive Sites - from what people say, any of the Cenotes will be worth diving. Some are better for beginners than others

What to See - there is little life underwater that we saw but that is not to say your eyes won’t feast on the cathedral-like sights inside. At Chac Mool there were plenty of stalactites and stalagmites and fossils of marine creatures that once filled the ocean.

The second part of the dive we hit the water at 12 noon just in time for an amazing light show. As the sun reached it's zenith, the light shot through a tiny air hole in the rock above penetrating the water with a brilliant blue laser beam.



There is an air dome on the second part of the cavern with tree trunks sticking down through the ceiling to get to the water like some giant elephant’s feet.

Viz - Brilliant the water in gin clear giving the impression that you are flying through mid air. Remember though that some parts of the cavern are in darkness so you are reliant on your torch beam. And if you hit the halocline it can feel like diving with frosted glass on your mask.

Biggest Gripe - I didn’t get to dive more of them. My own fault

What suit to take - Even though this was an overhead environment, the water temperature was an amazing 25C. I stuck with my full 3mm but some dived in a 3mm shortie.

Where to Stay - Anywhere in the Yucatan. We stayed in Cozumel so we could enjoy some brilliant reef diving with Dressel Divers. They also arranged trips to the Cenotes for us with one of their other centres on the mainland. It meant an early start and ferry ride which all adds to the adventure.

I would dive with them again and our guide Julian was extremely experienced having charted a number of new caves himself.

Miscellaneous Diving Info - By the very nature of the Cenotes, they are out in the sticks so don’t expect plush facilities (if any at all). This has the feel of real pioneer diving (even though the sites we dived and guides we went with were perfectly safe) so be prepared to kit up in the forest or dirt car park and wazz behind a tree - but be prepared to be wowed. You may have to walk through the forest so open heeled fins and wetsuit boots are a good investment.

Buoyancy is key to a good dive so make sure you are properly weighted.

Also it can be dark down there. The furthest you are from the surface is 60m (the combined depth and distance penetration into the cavern) but this is an overhead environment so make sure you are prepared mentally for that otherwise it could be an uncomfortable time for you. Also the halocline can be a little unnerving.

Guidebook - Underwater Editions Cenotes dive guide and logbook offers a comprehensive insight into diving the Cenotes as well as some brilliant maps. It’s out of stock at the moment but keep checking the link, it’s an invaluable resource.

Worth Going - hell yes!

Tiny Whale Shark

Measuring just 15 inches long and cradled in the hands of a diver, it’s hard to believe that this little fella will become the biggest fish in the world.



The tiny whale shark specimen - the smallest ever found - was rescued from a hawker in the Philippines and has helped shed new light on the breeding habits of whale sharks.
It was found on Saturday with a rope tied around its tail, secured to a stick poked in the sand in a coastal town near Donsol in Sorsogon province.
Donsol hosts the largest known annual congregation of whale sharks in the world and is thought to be a major feeding ground but little was known about where they went to give birth.
Thanks to the discovery, the archipelago is now thought to be a breeding ground rather than simply a stop-off point for the rare species.
WWF Vice-Chairman Jose Ma Lorenzo Tan said: “In spite of all the research being done worldwide on whale sharks, to this date no one knows where they breed or give birth.
“The Pilar pup was so small, it was probably born here and could have been what biologists call a neo-nate.
“Not only is this animal the smallest live whale shark on record ever to be captured and released here in the Philippines, and arguably, anywhere in the world, it is also the first indication that the Philippines, at the apex of the Coral Triangle, is probably one of the places on the planet where these giants of the sea are born.”

Volunteers faced a race against time to help save a pod of pilot whales that became stranded on a beach in Tasmania.
In what is thought to be one of the biggest mass beachings in Australia, 200 pilot whales and a small number of dolphins came ashore on King Island on Sunday evening (march 1, 09)
More than 150 volunteers headed to the beach to help with rescue efforts while rescuers in small boats tried to steering the remaining pod away from the beach.
Chris Arthur from Tasmania's Parks and Wildlife Service said about 140 of the animals had died.


The latest update from the Tasmanian Government said rescuers had saved 54 pilot whales and five dolphins.
Mr Arthur said staff and volunteers successfully refloated stranded animals on the high tide.
"This means all the surviving stranded whales have now been refloated.
"This rescue effort would not have been possible without the exceptional assistance of the local community."

Strange Scuba Diving Beahviour 2: Scuba Biking

I found this on YouTube today and thought I'd share the madness.



The most amazing thing though is looking at the related links - and how many other divers have been scuba biking. Is it a skill I missed on my open water?